The Three Times Harley Hugged Tony
by writinginmyjeans
Summary: What the title says. And the one time Tony hugged him. Angst, with a little of fluff. Moviebased.


**Genre: **Angst/Friendship/ Family**  
****Pairings:**Harley/ Tony friendship, Tony/Pepper**  
****Word Count:****  
****Summary:**The three times Harley hugs Tony and the one time Tony hugs him.

**A/N: Hello readers! This is my first Ironman fic so bear with me, alright? This oneshot will contain spoilers from Ironman 3 and there will be quite a few inside jokes from said movie. After watching the movie, I just loved the chemistry between Harley and Tony and I just needed to write this. It is sort of an AU fic because the events are based on what I've perceived would make up as a plot for this oneshot. Do enjoy! **

**1. **

His mother packed their bags and together, they left for New York a year after Tony Stark's visit to Tennessee. He could not help but smile at the sight of high rise buildings around him. Not too far ahead, the Stark tower could be seen. It was obvious that the building was still under construction from the alien attack more than a year ago but despite the dents and broken glass panels, Harley had never been so amazed to see a building before.

His mother had proclaimed that it was time for a new adventure. Harley knew that the real reason behind their impromptu move was that she needed to escape memories and empty promises his father had made. He did not mind though. He hated that little town anyway.

"Are we there yet, Har? Mommy might get worried," his seven-year-old sister asked him, her hands clasped tightly around his. Her eyes were wide with wonder as she took in the surroundings and not for the first time, Harley felt the surge of pride at her complete trust in him. It was obvious she was frightened by the sudden change but not once had she complained.

"Relax, Sar. Mom knows I'm good with maps. And there's the Stark Tower right there," he pointed to the building and raised his eyes at his sister when the little girl scrunched her face in disgust.

"It's ugly," she said, and Harley chuckled. He tugged her forward, determined to at least see the inside of the Tower since he knew that there was no way in hell that he was getting further than the lobby. Being in the Tower itself was enough for him though.

Harley could not help but gaze around the building in wonder as he stepped in, despite the weird looks he received from the people around him. Beside him, he heard Sarah gasped in amazement at the high tech machines around them.

"Hey, kids. What are you doing here?" a man on crutches staggered towards them and Harley pushed Sarah behind him to shield her from whatever trouble they were likely to be in. The man looked as though he had been in a horrible accident, his face covered in healing bruises and a few scars. He wore a suit as he wobbled directly in front of them, his eyes raised questioningly at them.

"Sorry, mister. We're new and we just wanted to see where Tony Stark lived."

"This isn't a place for kids and besides, you need a badge to go up," the man pointed to his own and Harley gulped, taking a step backward.

"We'll just go," Harley said softly as he gripped Sarah's hand tighter, ready to run out and away from the stern-looking man.

"What, you're annoying children too now, Happy?" a familiar voice asked and Harley whipped his head around. He blinked as Tony Stark smirked amusedly at Happy after winking at him and his sister. "Hey, I know you!"

Harley laughed as he launched himself at Mr Stark, his arms wrapping themselves tightly around Stark's middle. He was not aware that Mr Stark had gone rigid until he heard light laughter from behind him. He let go of Mr Stark, giving the man a sheepish grin, and turned to see that he was in the presence of both Tony Stark and Pepper Potts. She was even prettier in person.

"You must be Harley," she said as she held out her hand and he shook it, his cheeks burning as she smiled at him. "Tony told me about how you helped him when he was in Tennessee. Thank you for that."

"Thank you, Ms Potts," he blushed.

"Huh, he wasn't that polite when we met," Mr Stark mused and Harley resisted the urge to glare at the man for embarrassing him in front of Ms Potts. "This must be your sister."

"You lost my watch," Sarah pouted as Tony crouched to her level. Harley suppressed a chuckle as Tony winced.

"Yeah, sorry about that. I'll get you a new one," the billionaire tried pacifying her but Sarah only stared at him with sadder eyes. Harley threw her a warning glance, knowing that she was only acting since she gave their mother the same sad eyes every time she wanted something she was not supposed to have.

"It was a limited edition watch, Mr Stark."

"Well, how about you come on up and we'll get you a limited edition Stark watch?" Ms Potts asked Sarah.

"Really?" three voices asked in disbelief and Harley was amused that Mr Stark was the third voice.

"Yes, really," Ms Potts gave a pointed glance at Mr Stark as she took Sarah's hand and led his sister through security.

"They don't have badges!" Happy growled as he trailed after them, leaving Mr Stark and Harley alone.

"It's good to see you, kid," Mr Stark said after a moment and Harley smiled at him in relief. "But if you ever touch me like that again, I will gladly leave you down here."

"That's it? That's your threat?" Harley snorted as they walked through security. "The great Tony Stark who's known for being a smartass can only threaten to leave me in the lobby for hugging you?"

"I just went through a heart transplant. Cut me some slack."

**2.**

He wrapped his arms tightly around Sarah, unshed tears in his eyes as he stared into space. How could his mother be fighting for her life right at that moment? How could she have been mugged and attacked so badly that she needed to be carted off for surgery? How were they going to pay her hospital bills? What was going to happen to Sarah and him if she died? No, his mother dying was something he did not want to think about.

"Harley?"

"Yeah, Sar?"

"Mom's going to be okay, right?" she asked him and Harley just shrugged, unable to lie to her and tell her that everything was going to be alright when he did not know the answer himself. If there was one thing he never did, it was to lie to his little sister.

"I don't know, buddy."

"Harley? Sarah?" a familiar, soothing voice called and both siblings looked up from their position to find Pepper running towards them, her hand outstretched. Sarah ran to the CEO, burying her face into Pepper's shoulders as Pepper hugged the little girl tightly. Behind them, Tony walked to Harley, and took a seat beside the thirteen-year-old boy.

"Thanks for coming," Harley tried to smile but it came out more as a grimace. "Who told you?"

"You're my protégé, kid," Tony snorted. "I'll always know what you're up to."

"Do I want to know how you'll always know?"

It was a testament to how close they'd gotten over the year that Harley was not at all disturbed by Tony's casual shrug and answer.

"Probably not."

"Hey," Pepper walked up to them, one hand clasping Sarah's tiny one. "I'm going to bring this little lady back home and get her to rest. Harley, why don't you join us and we can visit your mom when she's out of surgery and ready to see you?"

"No thanks, Pepper." It was also a testament to how close they'd gotten that Harley and Sarah called the two most powerful people in New York by their first names. "I want to be here when she wakes up. You can take Sarah with you though. She doesn't like hospitals very much."

Sarah nodded, her lower lip sticking out in a pout. "It's always so sad here."

Pepper gave Tony a look as she left with Sarah and Harley continued staring into space.

"I am so thankful that I haven't gotten around to building you your own armour or you would have burned a hole through that well," Tony casually remarked and Harley rolled his eyes.

"You said you weren't going to build me one anyway. Something about me not being awesome enough," Harley reminded him and Tony snorted. Silence reigned between them and Harley closed his eyes, trying to imagine himself being there when his mother was mugged. He could have stopped it. He could have distracted his mother's attackers or he could have warned her. He should have been there.

"Don't do that kid," Tony's voice brought him out of his guilt trip and Harley stared at his mentor questionably. "Stop blaming yourself. You couldn't have done anything to stop it."

"I should have been there."

"And what? Stomped on their feet so they'd let her go because that's the only thing you could have done. You could have been hurt too."

"I'm the man of the house, Tony. I should be able to protect both of them."

"You're thirteen, kid. You could barely shave, let alone take on those goons. Stop blaming yourself."

"What's going to happen to me and Sarah if something happens to her? And then, there's these hospital bills that are gonna cost a bomb. We can't go on without her, Tony."

"Will you calm the hell down?" Tony exclaimed and Harley stared at him, not caring that there were tears in his eyes or that he was breathing heavily from his earlier rant. "Don't worry about the hospital bills, kid. Pepper and I will take care of it. Nothing is going to happen to your mother but if something does happen, then you'll come live with me. You've practically lived in the Tower since you arrived in New York anyway and Sarah loves Pepper. You're not alone, kid."

Harley wailed as he threw his arms around Tony's shoulders and hugged the older man, not noticing how Tony had stiffened in his arms before patting him awkwardly on the back. He only let go when the doctor emerged from the operation theatre, his eyes forlorn and sympathetic as he shook his head at the teen and the philanthropist.

"I'm sorry. We lost her."

Harley collapsed against his mentor for the second time that night, burying his face into Tony's chest as he sobbed his eyes out. The awkward patting continued but if he had looked up, he would have seen Tony Stark looking as broken as he was.

**3.**

"Captain America, it's such an honour to meet you."

Harley could not help but be awestruck as Steve Rogers shook his hand. Behind Steve, he could see Bruce chuckle and Tony rolling his eyes. Steve smiled at him and asked him a few questions before excusing himself to talk to the other members of the Avengers team in an attempt to debrief them.

"Alright kid, you can ask for his autograph later," Bruce teased the fourteen-year-old and Harley glared at him, not at all amused.

"You know, I've adopted you, paid your school fees to MIT and am mentoring you. Why are you not as polite or as star struck by me as you are with Spangles over there?" Tony growled, the annoyance and jealousy in his voice blatant as he crossed his arms across his chest. Harley rolled his eyes.

"I used to be star struck, remember?" he grinned. "But then I got to know you and really, what is there to be star struck about? You're just my annoying genius guardian who needs Pepper to remind you to eat and sleep."

Tony scowled at the teenager as Bruce laughed loudly at the teen's response. Harley rolled his eyes before giving his mentor a quick hug, ignoring the surprised yelp from the genius.

"Don't worry, Tony. Ironman is still the coolest superhero," Harley said patronizingly and Tony smirked and tipped his head as though to say 'that's better' before walking off to beg Thor to let him carry the hammer.

"You're such a teacher's pet," Bruce chuckled and Harley stared at him, shocked at the doctor's statement.

"Am not!"

**+1**

"Listen, kiddo, there's got to be another way, alright."

"Damn it, Tony, this is the only way!"

His heart raced as he watched his adopted son direct the nuclear missile away from the buildings of Manhattan and towards the opened portal. Was this how Pepper felt every time she watched the footage of the Battle of Manhattan twelve years ago? Did she feel the aching gap in her chest just like he was feeling as she had watched on helplessly just as he was doing? Damn Loki and his second attempt to conquer Earth through stronger Chitauri minions. For someone who was supposed to be the God of Mischief, he sure lacked creativity.

"Kid, the only reason I survived the last time was because of my arc reactor. I don't know if you would – "

"I'm not letting this nuke blow, Tony! We'll lose everything!" the twenty-three year old reasoned and Tony sagged in defeat. He was still rounding up the Chitauri and preventing them from spreading. There was nothing he could do to help Harley.

"Come back, Harley, you hear me?" Tony demanded as he blasted a few Chitauris off the roof of Stark Tower.

"I'll try, Dad," he could hear the uncertainty in the kid's voice and Tony cursed as he attempted to make his way to his kid. "Thanks, you know, for being there."

"Stop talking, kiddo. Now," Tony panted and just as he was about to open his mouth for a smartass thing to say, the kid in his own armour disappeared into the skies, the nuke firmly on his back. When all of this was over, he was going to hunt down the members of that damn Council and rip them to pieces one by one.

Just as he was contemplating exactly how he was going to do so, a familiar red and gold figure fell through the sky as the portal closed and one by one, the Chitauri fell. Damn it, Harley was not slowing down. Tony was about to fly to save his son when the Manhattan vigilante swung towards Harley and grabbed the fallen man, setting him down beside his adopted father.

"Thank you, Peter," Tony did not bother to disguise the relief in his voice as the other Avengers gathered around them. Wolverine ripped apart the mask as Captain America stood on the other side of Harley.

"Don't thank me yet, Tony. He's not breathing," Spiderman worriedly knelt beside the billionaire.

"JARVIS, initiate the life revival sequence this moron insisted on programming."

"It's not fully rea – "

"Now, JARVIS!"

Behind them, the Hulk whined at the sight of his fallen friend. Thor had the same guilty look that Tony had awoken to twelve years ago. Clint and Natasha were towards them, their injuries obvious but their concern for their teammate overriding their injuries. Together, the Avengers waited as Harley's suit lighted up, the life revival sequence initiated.

For fuck's sake, the kid had been through enough. He lost his father, his mother and he did not deserve to lose his life at such a young age.

A choking gasp brought Tony out of his miserable thoughts and for the first time in a while, a genuine relieved smile grazed his aging face as he helped his adopted son sit up and breathe.

"Do that again, Harley, and I swear on Shwarma that I will behead you," he threatened and when the kid just chuckled, Tony Stark hugged him.

He felt Harley stiffen at the unusual gesture before he hugged Tony back just as tightly.

"Don't worry, Tony," Harvey smirked cockily at him when they finally let go of each other. "I'll be here as long as you'll be here."

"And why is that?"

"Because we're _connected_."

**A/N: Okay, so the the lack of imagination for the battle scene was really my fault and not Loki's but I'm boring like that! I couldn't think of much battle sacrifices. I****'ll try again for the next one. But for now, please review and tell me what you think! :) **


End file.
